


On Lies Locked Away

by Zippit



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 18:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11447010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zippit/pseuds/Zippit
Summary: When SHIELD goes after the Black Widow, it's not just Clint Barton they send. They also send Steve Rogers and things go sideways pretty much from the get go.





	On Lies Locked Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flipflop_diva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/gifts).



Steve’s not sure he approves of his latest assignment. It’s all well and good to work on expanding the kind of assets SHIELD has in its arsenal but recruiting one of the most dangerous assassins the world has known? That feels like a step too far. Even if he’s already working with one of the other ones.

Looking at Clint Barton, you wouldn’t expect him to be the kind of man that would fit the ideal of a spy. But that affable easygoing nature can turn on a dime into something deadly and focused. Even his choice of weapon fits the misconceptions that abound around him. An old fashioned bow with modern day enhancements and don’t get him started on all the technologically updated arrows Barton has floating around in a constant state of experimentation.

As they’re suiting up for the mission, he glances over at Clint tugging at the tie around his neck. They’ve got on suits for this gala thing. SHIELD has pretty good intel that the Black Widow will be either attempting to eliminate a high ranking military official of a dictatorship or stealing the intel he’s carrying. It’s a toss up about which of the two would lead to more chaos. The intel would be more beneficial to her and it’s also something SHIELD would like to get its hands on. 

Steve’s not really a fan of this kind of mission. The stealth and sneaking make him distinctly uncomfortable. Maybe he’s old fashioned when it comes to wars and battles but he’d rather face his enemy outright. Have all sides know what’s going and get the threat out of the way. Subterfuge is all well and good when it’s employed in the use of winning a war. When it’s used for its own means, Steve’s doesn’t know if he’s always 100% on board for it.

“What do you think about all this?” Steve waves a hand in the air.

Clint stops in slipping more miniature smoke bombs and tasers into discrete pouches tucked into the lining of his suit and arches an eyebrow at Steve.

“You mean the kill order or the bring the target in part?”

Steve shrugs. He’s not a fan of either but he also doesn’t do these kinds of missions often. It’s hard for him to put into words everything he’s feeling right now. He misses having someone be able to take one look at him and just know what he was thinking and usually saying it better than he ever could.

“Don’t worry about it, Steve. We probably won’t even make contact this time. We’re lucky to have even this much intel on all the players right now.”

Steve finishes strapping the gun into place under his suit then adjusts his ankle holster for his other gun. He won’t be going in armed beyond that. But he has several small disc tasers of his own stashed all over his person. He hopefully shouldn’t need them. He’s only there to serve as Clint’s back up. This whole mission is Clint’s play even if Coulson is the handler in the background.

Get in, get the intel, and maybe the Black Widow too, and get out. Otherwise, observe the Black Widow and reevaluate as necessary.

* * *

A bomb goes off in the middle of proceedings disrupting everyone’s plans and amid the general chaos what happens is this: the intel goes in one direction, the Black Widow goes in another, and Clint goes after the intel, which leaves Steve to go after the Black Widow.

All he gets is a glimpse of red hair and an opulent blue dress as she’s disappearing around a corner. He can hear Clint’s faint cursing over their comm link but other than that has no idea what’s going on. He chases her across the upper floors of the elegant hotel, managing to just keep her in sight. She’s fast for someone Steve should be able to typically outrun. She likely knows the layout of the building in far more detail than he thought to imagine, but he’s gaining with every hallway they run down.

He’s breathing hard as he slams his way through a set of doors into an stairwell. The clatter of steps point to her ascent. Rooftop escape plan? A part of him’s impressed. No one ever looks up and in an emergency most people are focused on getting down and out.

He charges up after her with a couple taser discs tucked into his fist, at the ready. They hadn’t prepped any contingencies for Steve to deal with the Black Widow. This was supposed to be Clint’s job. This was supposed to have gone a million different, better ways.

He clatters onto the rooftop only a few moments after the doors slam the first time. She whirls to face him with an emptiness in her eyes that stops him cold. No person should ever have that look in their eyes. She aims a gun square at his head and he has no idea where she even pulled it from in the first place. The dress she has on is form fitting, leaving nothing to the imagination.

“Captain America, in the flesh. I have to admit this is a bit of a surprise.”

Her English is accentless and the little Steve’s heard about her training he’s unsurprised.

“Ms. Romanoff, I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you but the gun you’re currently pointing at my head would make that statement patently false.”

The slight deepening at the corner of her mouth as if she’s amused by his comment makes Steve wonder. Her eyes don’t match that reaction.

“Turn around and walk away, Rogers. I’m not here for you or the rest of SHIELD. I merely came to collect what I was interested in.”

“We have a p—”

Steve can’t even get the word out before there’s a knife flying at his head. He drops and immediately rolls for the nearest corner. It’s meager on the roof, just ventilation and cooling units. He comes up gray and covered in dirt as he peers around the cooling unit.

“I’m not interested in propositions and proposals. I’m not going to be a kept dog for anyone,” Romanoff spits into the air between them. 

Steve can’t see her, has no idea if she can see him, and scrambles to the next nearest cover while listening for any sign of her. The slither of fabric falling and the crunch of gravel twisting under a heeled step has him throwing his handful of taser discs in a direction behind and to the left of him. The sizzle-fzzt of contact makes him hope.

He dashes around to find nothing but an empty pile of blue cloth, Romanoff’s dress, and an open burner cell. Her voice sounds through it loud and clear. “You can tell SHIELD they’re going to have to do better. This was an insult on my abilities.”

The line goes dead with a definitive click and Steve shakes his head. He sure hopes Fury knows what he’s doing. There’s going to be nothing easy when it comes to accomplishing their mission.


End file.
